ST. GEORGE – An incoming storm system with very heavy rainfall and localized flooding is forecast by the National Weather Service for specified areas of Utah, Nevada, Arizona and California beginning at 11 a.m. and noon, PDT/MDT respectively, Wednesday, with a possible brief lull Thursday before resuming until midnight.

Severe thunderstorms with attendant flash floods possible are forecast by the National Weather Service for the period noon MDT Wednesday through Thursday night. Dots denote areas subject to the alert at radar time 8:33 a.m. MDT, Utah, Aug. 3, 2016 | Image courtesy of the National Weather Service, St. George News

Monsoonal moisture will continue to advance into the areas ahead of the storm system.

“Conditions will be favorable for thunderstorms with very heavy rainfall and localized flooding,” the weather service’s notice states.

Storms are expected to develop in Southern Utah and north-central Arizona Wednesday afternoon, moving southwest into portions of Nevada and Mohave County, Arizona, in the evening.

The storms are expected to develop in the higher terrain of the specified California, Nevada and Arizona areas by early afternoon Wednesday with very heavy downpours likely. The strongest storms may lead to localized flooding.

In Utah: San Rafael Swell, Glen Canyon Recreation Area, Lake Powell, southern mountains, Utah’s Dixie and Zion National Park; and areas in and around the following municipalities: Green River, Hanksville, St. George, Kanab, Escalante, Bullfrog, Loa, Panguitch and Bryce Canyon.

Severe thunderstorms with attendant flash floods possible are forecast by the National Weather Service for the period 11 a.m. PDT / noon MDT Wednesday through Thursday night. Dots denote areas subject to the alert at radar time 7:33/8:33 a.m. PDT/MDT, Nevada/Utah, Aug. 3, 2016 | Image courtesy of the National Weather Service, St. George News

Flash flood watch – timing

Flash flood watches are in effect for all the specified areas through midnight Thursday.

Impacts

Flooding of urban areas with poor drainage is possible. Rapidly flowing water – along with mud and rocks – may affect area roadways and low-lying areas. Some roads may become impassable or damaged by flood waters.

A flash flood watch means that conditions may develop that lead to the very dangerous condition of flash flooding.

A flash flood can happen with little or no warning, and individuals may only have seconds to act before it’s too late. Move to higher ground. Act quickly to protect your life, not your property.

“Get everybody. Don’t try to save personal belongings or vehicles,” Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy Darrell Cashin, then Search and Rescue Commander, said in a 2015 interview with St. George News, reflecting on a recent rescue.

After getting to higher ground, he said, it is important for people to remain where they are until either the waters have receded to a safe depth or rescue has arrived.

When you think it’s safe, wait, Cashin said.

“Let it recede, let it pass. When you think it’s safe, wait an hour longer.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association and the National Weather Service offer safety rules for flash flooding:

Flash flooding is a very dangerous situation.

Flash flood waves, moving at incredible speeds, can roll boulders, tear out trees, destroy buildings and bridges, and scour out new channels. Killing walls of water can reach heights of 10 to 20 feet. You will not always have warning that these deadly, sudden floods are coming. When a flash flood warning is issued for your area or the moment you first realize that a flash flood is imminent, act quickly to save yourself. You may have only seconds.

Most flood deaths occur in automobiles – do not drive your vehicle into areas where the water covers the roadway; flood waters are usually deeper than they appear; the road bed may not be intact under the water

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2016, all rights reserved.

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About the Author

Joyce Kuzmanic has been editor in chief of St. George News since 2012, having contributed as a reporter and assistant editor since the publication's inception in 2010. Before St. George News, Joyce has been a private business owner and enjoyed a long career as a paralegal in real estate, business and tax law transactions.
She enjoys hospitality, thinking, reading and adventuring in the great outdoors. Joyce currently resides in St. George with her husband and her dog, Scratch.

It ain’t gonna rain, and if it does it will only make your car’s windshield dirty. These rain criers give out all these warnings like candy at a parade. I hope it does rain, but I don’t think it will rain all that much. And I’m tired of my cartoons being interrupted with weather alerts. Tell ya what, if it rains hard enough to flood us, I’ll take you all out for sandwiches and beers.